A sharp-dressed crossover that is a true individual
What we don't
Ride and handling are surprisingly uninspiring especially in the base car
Infiniti has a visibility crisis in Australia. Since it established locally in 2012 – some 23 years after Nissan launched its luxury offshoot brand in the US – it has sold less cars in total than its arch rival Lexus has in just June and July of 2016.
With a tiny dealer footprint and an unusual – and ageing – range of cars, Infiniti needs a big play to ensure it doesn’t slip almost unnoticed in the annals of car brands that have tried and failed to make it in Australia’s savagely competitive market.
To its credit, its management team has a plan in place to take Infiniti to the next level, both in terms of product and dealership presence. It’s banking on the fact that its relative anonymity will actually stand it in good stead, as consumers look for the next big thing.
The Q30 is the brand’s first real attempt at a volume-selling car, and it’s going about it in quite an unusual way.
Infiniti Q30 2016: GT 1.6T
Safety rating
Engine Type
1.6L turbo
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6L/100km
Seating
5 seats
Price from
$16,940
Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
Infiniti claims it’s invested much in ensuring the character of the Q30 is unique.
The Q30 is one of the first projects to result from a technology partnership formed between the parent company of Mercedes-Benz and the Nissan-Renault Alliance.
This means that the Q30 is built in a Nissan plant in the UK, using Mercedes-Benz A-Class underpinnings and engines.
On the outside, though, it’s all Infiniti. It’s a strikingly overt car, with savagely deep crease lines along its flanks that, according to Infiniti, lead the industry in complexity of construction.
Infiniti insists that the front-driver is a crossover, not a hatchback, despite the fact it has about the same ground clearance as a typical hatch.
Black plastic overfenders add a pseudo offroader air to the Q30, with 18-inch rims on the base model GT replaced by grey 19-inch versions on the Sport and Sport Premium variants.
The dimensions of the Q30 are an exact match for those on the Mercedes-Benz GLA small SUV, and the long front overhang is the main visual connection between the two cars.
It’ll come in a variety of hues, including the polarising Liquid Copper of the car we shot during the launch.
The Q30 is a smallish five-door hatch, and the front seat passengers are well looked after.
There are plenty of inclusions to suit urbanite types, including a pair of USB ports, plenty of door storage and a sizable glovebox. Up front there are two cupholders but none in the back, while there's bottle holders in the front doors and only space for small bottles in the back doors.
There is no logical arrangement for the storage of smartphones, though, and the lack of either Apple Car Play or Android Auto is a result of Infiniti opting for its own phone connectivity suite.
A very decent 430 litres of luggage space behind the rear seats is contrasted by a cramped rear area for all but the smallest of passengers, while sharply shaped rear door apertures making getting in and out a bit of a task.
Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
The Q30 will start at $38,900 before on road costs for the base GT model – but we’d suggest it’s a bit of a false start into the range.
Powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 115kW and 250Nm, the GT misses out on much of the good stuff that Infiniti has built into its higher grades.
And even though it comes with automatic emergency braking as standard, it does not come with a reversing camera, nor can one be specified for it. While it still rates as a top-scoring five-star car under ANCAP standards, rear sensors are not a replacement for a rear camera.
Step up to the $44,900 Sport, and the Q30 makes a lot more sense. With 19-inch rims, a 15mm lower ride height and more standard gear including leatherette and Alcantara accented heated sport seats, a stop/start system, a D-shaped wheel, self-levelling LED headlights with cornering function and high-beam assist, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.
The sign recognition system has been calibrated to read roadside speed signs, flashing the result up in the centre TFT display on the dash.
The Sport Premium tops the range at $52,900, and scores a sunroof, radar cruise, intelligent brake assist, intelligent park assist, around view monitor, moving object detection, a 10-speaker Bose stereo and Nappa leather 10-way powered seats.
What are the key stats for the engine and transmission? 7/10
The Q30 offers three engines; the Mercedes-Benz sourced 1.6-litre turbo petrol four-potter in the GT makes 115kW at 5,300rpm and 250Nm at 1,250rpm.
A Merc-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 155kW at 5,500rpm and 350Nm at 1,200rpm powers the Sport and Sport Premium.
Both the Sport and Sport Premium can be optioned with a 125kW/350Nm 2.1-litre turbo diesel four-potter.
The 1.6-litre records a combined fuel consumption average of 6.0 litres per 100km, and emits 139 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The 2.0-litre returns a claimed 6.3 litres per 100km on the combined fuel cycle and emits 147g CO2/km.
The diesel, meanwhile, is rated at 5.2L/100km and emits 120g CO2/km.
Our brief test in the Sport saw a combined figure of 8.2L/100km on the dash.
What's it like to drive? 7/10
Infiniti claims it’s invested much in ensuring the character of the Q30 is unique, recalibrating the electric steering and completely revising the suspension system. Each model within the range also has its own suspension tune to account for the various weights of the cars.
Unfortunately, the GT is a less than inspiring drive, with a wooden, artificially heavy steering feel and an equally listless ride. Its 1.6-litre engine is quiet and refined in the city, but it struggles once it’s out of town with the relatively high weight of the car.
The Sport is a much better behaved proposition, though, with a crisper feel at the helm and a more controlled and slightly livelier ride, despite its heavier run-flat 19-inch tyres.
The ‘Sport’ tag might be a line too far, though, as it much prefers to be stroked along rather than pushed hard – which, after all, is a driving style more suited to its target audience.
The 2.0-litre engine is well matched to the seven-speed dual-clutch in manual and sport modes, but is almost too soft and slurry in its standard mode.
The Q30 offers excellent forward visibility, with a restricted view over the shoulder thanks to those thick C pillars and narrowing roofline.
Warranty & Safety Rating
Basic Warranty
4 years / 100,000 km
warranty
ANCAP Safety Rating
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating? 6/10
Safety-wise, the five-star ANCAP-rated Q30 gets seven airbags, auto emergency braking and a pop-up bonnet as standard across the line.
It does, however, miss out on a reversing camera in the GT, making do with rear-only sensors.
Higher models also offer lane departure, a surround view camera and a speed zone sensing camera which, incidentally, works almost too well, picking up signs on slip roads as well as school speed zones while out of hours.
What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered? 8/10
The Q30 is offered with a four-year, 100,000km warranty, and servicing is suggested every 12 months or 25,000km.
Infiniti offers a fixed three-year service schedule, with the GT costing $551 on average over the three services provided, the Sport and Sport Premium petrol costing $540 and the diesel $612.
Verdict
The Q30 is a funky little five-door that stands out a mile even against modern hatchbacks and crossovers. Its sub-$40,000 entry price comes at a cost, with the mid-range Sport variant being the pick of the three.
The links to Mercedes-Benz give the Q30 an edge in the sales stakes, too, while Infiniti’s own touches have given the Q30 a sufficiently unique DNA.
Whats your take on Infiniti's new crossover hatch? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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